103 lines
4.8 KiB
Plaintext
103 lines
4.8 KiB
Plaintext
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THE GALLUP POLL FOR RELEASE: Thursday, March 12,
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1987
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Only One-Third of Public Deny Existence of UFOs, Extraterrestrial Life
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Princeton, NJ-- For millions of American adults a "Close Encounter of
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the Third Kind" is a distinct possibility, with only about one in three
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flatly denying the existence of either unidentified flying objects
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(UFOs) or extraterrestrial life.
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In a new Gallup survey, 50% express the belief that there are
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"people somewhat like ourselves living on other planets in the
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universe", while 34% are skeptical and 16% are unsure. The current
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figures are virtually unchanged from those recorded in a 1978 survey,
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but considerably more now than in either 1973 or 1966 believe in
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extraterrestrial life.
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Similarly, 49% of those who have heard or read about UFOs think they
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are real, while 30% are doubtful and 21% uncertain. Belief in UFOs is
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down slightly from its peak in 1978, when 57% thought they were real.
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9% Report Sighting UFO
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In the new survey, one person in 11 (9%) reports actually having
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seen something he or she thought was a UFO, statistically similar to the
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findings of earlier polls.
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Belief Higher Among College-Educated
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Belief in the existence of life on other planets and in UFOs is
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substantially higher among persons who attended college than among those
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whose formal education ended at or before graduation from high school.
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Men are more likely than women to believe in extraterrestrail life,
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62% and 40%, respectively, but men and women share the same opinions
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about UFOs.
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As a rule, people 50 and older are less convinced than their juniors
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that either phenomenon has a basis in fact, but more older than younger
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adults are undecided. Westerners are most apt to be believers;
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Southerners, least so.
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Following are the questions, the trends and the latest findings
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among key demographic groups:
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Respondents were first asked:
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HAVE YOU HEARD OR READ ABOUT UFOS (UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS)?
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Those answering affirmatively (88% of the total) were then asked:
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HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING YOU THOUGHT WAS A UFO?
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Sighting of UFO (based on aware groups)
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1987 9% 1978 9 1973 11 1966
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5
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IN YOUR OPINION, ARE UFOS SOMETHING REAL OR JUST PEOPLE'S
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IMAGINATION?
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Existence of UFOs (based on aware groups)
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Real Imaginary Not Sure 1987
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49 30 21 1978 57 27
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16 1973 54 30 16 1966
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46 29 25
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Existence of UFOs (based on aware groups)
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Real Imaginary Not Sure NATIONAL
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49 30 21 Men 50 31
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19 Women 49 28 23 Attended
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College 56 26 18 No College 44
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33 23 18-29 Years 53 32
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15 30-49 Years 57 21 22 50 & Older
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36 39 25 East 52 30
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18 Midwest 48 27 25 South
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39 39 22 West 62
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19 19
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All persons in the survey were asked the following question:
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DO YOU THINK THERE ARE PEOPLE SOMEWHAT LIKE OURSELVES
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LIVING ON OTHER PLANETS IN THE UNIVERSE, OR NOT?
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Extraterrestrial Life
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Yes No Not Sure 1987 50
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34 16 1978 51 33 16 1973
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46 38 16 1966 34 46 20
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Extraterrestrial Life
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Yes No Not Sure NATIONAL 50
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34 16 Men 62 30 8 Women
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40 28 32 Attended College 57 33 10 No
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College 46 35 19 18-29 Years 52 36
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12 30-49 Years 56 35 9 50 & Older 42
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33 25 East 55 29 16 Midwest
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49 34 17 South 38 48 14 West
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63 21 16
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The latest findings are based on telephone interviews with 527
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adults, 18 and older, conducted in scientifically selected localities
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across the nation during the period Feb 2-18. For results based on
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samples of this size, one can say with 95% confidence that the error
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attributable to sampling and other random effects could be 6 percentage
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points in either direction.
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In addition to sampling error, the reader should bear in mind that
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question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can
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introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls. These
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statements conform to the standards of disclosure of the National
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Council on Public Polls.
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